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    Children's Health

    Sodium and Fluid Restriction for Children with Kidney Failure

    A low-sodium diet or salt restriction may be used to help prevent or reduce fluid retention in your child's body. The amount of sodium or salt allowed in your child's diet depends on your child's health condition. Your child's healthcare provider or dietitian will figure out the amount of sodium allowed in your child's diet. It is often expressed in milligrams (mg) per day. Some common sodium restrictions include 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 mg per day. With most sodium-restricted diets, high-sodium foods are limited. And salt is not allowed when making food or at the table.

    Foods high in sodium

    • Canned foods (vegetables, meats, pasta meals)

    • Processed foods (meats, such as bologna, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs, sausage)

    • Cheese

    • Dried pasta and rice mixes

    • Soups (canned and dried)

    • Snack foods (chips, popcorn, pretzels, cheese puffs, salted nuts)

    • Dips, sauces, and salad dressings

    Foods low in sodium

    • Plain breads, cereals, rice, and pasta

    • Vegetables and fruits (fresh or frozen)

    • Meats (fresh cuts, not processed meats)

    • Milk and yogurt (these tend to be moderate in sodium)

    • Drinks, such as juices, tea, fruit drink or fruit punch, soda, and sports drinks have sodium so these may need to be limited

    Low-sodium seasonings

    The following low-sodium seasonings may be used more freely than those that are high in sodium:

    Allspice

    Basil

    Bay leaf

    Chili powder

    Chives

    Cinnamon

    Cloves

    Curry powder

    Dill

    Dry mustard

    Extracts (vanilla)

    Garlic (fresh)

    Garlic powder

    Ginger

    Horseradish sauce

    Lemon juice

    Lime juice

    Mace

    Marjoram

    Nutmeg

    Onion (fresh)

    Onion powder

    Oregano

    Paprika

    Pepper

    Rosemary

    Sage

    Tabasco

    Tarragon

    Thyme

    Vinegar

    The following seasonings are high in sodium, but they can be used in limited amounts.

    Limit to 1 tablespoon per meal:

    • Barbecue sauce

    • Cocktail sauce

    • Ketchup

    • Mustard

    • Hot sauce

    • Low-calorie salad dressing

    • Steak sauce

    How to reduce your child's salt intake

    The following recommendations may help to reduce the amount of salt in your child's diet:

    • Don't use salt when cooking or at the table.

    • Cook with herbs and spices. Or if your child's healthcare provider allows it, use salt substitutes.

    • Seasonings with the word salt in the name, such as garlic salt, are high in sodium. When seasoning foods use fresh garlic or garlic powder. Use onion powder instead of onion salt. And try celery seed rather than celery salt.

    • Eat homemade meals using fresh ingredients. Don't eat canned, frozen, or packaged meals. When eating out, ask for dressings and sauces on the side. Ask the chef to hold the salt in food preparation.

    Type of food

    Allowed

    Stay away from these foods

    Milk, yogurt, cheese

     

    • Whole, 2%, or skim milk

    • Cottage cheese, regular hard cheeses, tofu

    • Puddings, custards, ice cream

     

    • Processed cheese, cheese spreads

    Meat, fish, poultry

     

    • Fresh or frozen meats, poultry, fish

    • Low sodium canned tuna or salmon

    • Dried beans and peas

    • Soybean or vegetable protein

    • Peanut butter

     

    • Salted or canned meats, fish (sardines, herring, anchovies), or poultry

    • Lunch meats (bologna, ham, corned beef)

    • Cured meats (ham, bacon, sausage)

    • Hot dogs, dried beef, jerky

    • Commercially frozen entrees

    • Kosher-prepared meats

    Fruits

     

    • Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits, fruit juices

     

    • None

    Vegetables

     

    • Fresh, frozen, or low-sodium canned vegetables

     

    • Sauerkraut, salted or pickled vegetables

    • Vegetables cooked with salted meats

    • Regular vegetable juices

    Starches, breads, cereals

     

    • Potatoes, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, rice

    • Unsalted potato chips, low-sodium pretzels, unsalted crackers, unsalted popcorn, and nuts

    • Whole-grain and enriched breads

    • Pancakes, muffins, French toast, waffles, biscuits, cookies, cakes

    • Whole-grain and enriched cooked or commercially prepared dry cereals

     

    • Potato chips, salted snack foods, or pretzels

    • Commercially prepared rice and noodle mixes

    • Salted breads, rolls, and crackers

    • Salted popcorn and nuts

    Miscellaneous

     

    • Chocolate, cocoa, horseradish, herbs and spices, such as onion powder, fresh garlic, garlic powder, celery seed

    • Flavorings, such as vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco

    • Low-sodium condiments and seasonings

    • Ketchup, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, gravy (limit to 1 tablespoon per day)

    • Low-sodium canned soups, homemade soups

     

    • Commercially prepared meat sauces

    • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

    • Onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt, seasoned salt

    • Olives, pickles

    • Relish, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce

    • Dehydrated soup or bouillon, canned soups

    Fats

     

    • Butter, margarine, lard, shortening, vegetable oil, mayonnaise

    • Salad dressing (limit to 1 tablespoon per day)

     

    • Salt pork, bacon fat, fat back

    • More than 1 tablespoon salad dressing per day

    Sample plan for 3,000 mg sodium restriction

    Breakfast

    Lunch

    Dinner

    Orange juice (1/2 cup)

    Dry cereal (1/2 cup)

    Toast (1 slice)

    Margarine (1 tsp)

    Jelly (1 tbsp)

    Low-fat milk (1 cup)

    Beef patty (3 oz)

    Hamburger bun (1)

    Mustard (1 tbsp)

    Ketchup (1 tbsp)

    Sliced tomato and lettuce

    Low-fat milk (1 cup)

    Baked, breaded chicken strips, homemade (3 oz)

    Oven-baked French fries, homemade (1/2 cup)

    Green beans (1/2 cup)

    Dinner roll (1)

    Margarine (1 tsp)

    Apple juice (1 cup)

    Frozen yogurt (1/2 cup)

    Morning snack

    Afternoon snack

     

     

    Banana

    Cereal fruit bar

    Oatmeal cookies (2)

    Lemonade

     

     

    Definitions for sodium claims on food labels

    The food label reads

    What this means

    Sodium-free

    Less than 5 mg sodium per serving

    Salt-free

    Meets requirements for sodium-free

    Low sodium

    140 mg sodium or less per serving

    Very low sodium

    35 mg sodium or less per serving

    Reduced sodium

    At least 25% less sodium compared with the same product without reduced sodium

    Light in sodium

    50% less sodium per serving compared with foods with more than 40 calories per serving or more than 3 gm of fat per serving

    Unsalted, no added salt, or without added salt

     

    • No salt is added during processing

    • The product it resembles and substitutes for is normally processed with salt

    Online Medical Reviewer: Amy Finke RN BSN
    Online Medical Reviewer: Liora C Adler MD
    Online Medical Reviewer: Raymond Kent Turley BSN MSN RN
    Date Last Reviewed: 9/1/2023
    © 2000-2024 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
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